SP23 Infoblip

The Commoner’s Fayre

Open Source Communities – Connect

SP23 has always been at the sparking, live-wire end of the electronic music scene. With a history steeped in the underground sound system culture, the SP23 crew keep aligned with their community and cultural roots – as well as continuing to pioneer new directions in live dance music. To this end, SP23 have given their full support to a new, not-for-profit, community-organised events project: The Commoner’s Fayre.

What makes The Commoner’s Fayre project exciting is that it uses new Open Source-type systems of organisation to empower local communities to organise and run their own events.

Organisational structure is opened to the general community, employing their collective skills, wisdom and experience, so as to benefit the decision-making process and improve on the democratic system and the systems used to organise local projects.

In this way communities are helped to get their event organised and at the same time encouraged to explore and use systems of participatory democracy. The goals of the community are met, community bonds are strengthened and inclusive dialogues, about new ways people can collaborate together, are opened – and kept open.

The Commoner’s Fayre will start on a small local level, helping communities in both rural and urban areas organise their own events. These events (which include people from all sections of society) can be anything from a village fête to a crafts fair, a skateboard jam to a barn dance – whatever the community would like to happen. The events can be held to celebrate any number of occasions – or purely to celebrate the achievement of the community working together – a celebration of community, for community’s sake.

For more info and to find out about how to participate in this energetic new startup project, check out